U.S. government-chartered helicopter flights began carrying American citizens from the Haitian capital Port-au-Prince on Wednesday amid rising violence, the State Department said, with a first flight transporting more than 15 people to Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic.
A department spokesperson estimated that more than 30 U.S. citizens a day would be able to depart Haiti on multiple helicopter flights.
Haiti's unelected Prime Minister Ariel Henry stated last week that he would resign, but a plan supported by Caribbean states and Washington to establish an interim presidential council has yet to be appointed.
Heavily armed groups have taken control of much of the capital, and human rights advocates have reported widespread killings, kidnappings, and sexual violence. More than 360,000 people are displaced within Haiti, according to U.N. estimates.
According to State Department deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel, nearly 1,600 Americans have filled in an online form asking for information about leaving Haiti. Some were not seeking assistance to depart the country and were instead inquiring about general safety information, Patel said.
Washington also arranged for a charter plane to transport people between the city of Cap-Haïtien and Miami, Florida on Sunday.
“We will also continue to explore operating out of Cap-Haïtien for people to be able to leave from there,” the spokesperson said by email.
(Reporting by Daphne Psaledakis and Simon Lewis; writing by Jasper Ward; Editing by Doina Chiacu and Aurora Ellis)
